Electrical boxes are commonly mounted to a stud or other support structure for supporting an electrical device and enclosing electrical wiring. The electrical boxes are often mounted in a variety of positions and locations in the wall or floor for interior and exterior use.
Exterior electrical boxes and switches require a cover to protect the electrical device from the rain. In recent years it has been desirable to provide a cover for the electrical device that can be used while an electrical plug, wire or the like is connected to the electrical outlet where the cover can close over the plug or wire without interfering with the cover.
Although building codes may vary between areas, most codes require the cover to be self-closing so that cover will automatically close around the electrical device when released. The cover is either spring biased or gravity operated. The gravity operated covers are often preferred since they eliminate additional parts and springs and are less likely to malfunction.
The gravity operated devices require the hinge to be located along an upper edge portion of the body or mounting face plate so that the cover will pivot downwardly to a closed position by the weight of the cover. The body of the assembly is often constructed to have a removable face plate for attaching the front side of the body and to the electrical device. The removable face plate can be replaced with another face plate having an opening oriented to accommodate the electrical device so that the cover is oriented to close by the weight of the cover. Examples of cover assemblies having a removable plate are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,135 to Berlin. In this device, one removable plate can be replaced with a different plate where each plate has a different shaped opening to accommodate different electrical devices.
Another construction of cover assemblies that can be mounted in different orientations has a hinge member on two adjacent sides of the body and two adjacent sides of the cover. The body and cover can be oriented in the selected horizontal or vertical position and the appropriate members are coupled together. The hinge members that are not being used can be removed and separated from the body and cover. Examples of this type of cover are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,891,104 to Dinh, U.S. Pat. No. 6,987,225 to Shotey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,906 to Shotey and U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,307 to Shotey.
Another cover assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,531 to Hayduke. This assembly includes a body portion and a hinged cover. The hinge is mounted on a corner between two adjacent sides of the cover and body so that the cover pivots along an axis that is diagonal with respect to the longitudinal dimension of the cover and body. The cover and body can be mounted in a horizontal or vertical orientation so that the cover will close by the weight of the cover.
While each of the prior devices has been generally suitable for the intended purpose, there is a continuing need in the industry for an improved device for mounting an electrical component to an electrical box.